What is creating-ics-files?

The ICS File Creator is a specialized Claude skill that automates the generation of RFC 5545-compliant .ics calendar files from unstructured text, documents, or metadata. It streamlines the scheduling workflow by accurately extracting event titles, timezones, locations, and attendee details to create ready-to-use meeting invites compatible with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Apple Calendar.

When should I use creating-ics-files?

creating-ics-files is useful in the following scenarios: • Converting project timelines or meeting minutes into downloadable calendar events to ensure team alignment. • Generating professional meeting invites from brief email descriptions, including multiple attendees and RSVP requirements. • Setting up complex recurring schedules (weekly syncs, monthly reviews) using precise RRULE syntax for automated calendar management. • Standardizing event timezones for global teams to prevent scheduling conflicts across different geographic regions. • Creating bulk calendar files from document data extraction to simplify event planning and registration processes.

name	creating-ics-files
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ICS File Creator

Creates .ics (iCalendar) files from documents or metadata provided by the user.

Default Assumptions

Timezone: US Central (America/Chicago - Minneapolis) unless specified otherwise

Required Information

Before creating an ICS file, ensure you have:

Event title/summary - from the document or user input
Date and time - start and end times
Location - if not provided, ask the user
Invitees - if not provided, ask the user for attendee email addresses
Notes/description - if not provided, ask the user

Workflow

Parse the provided document or metadata to extract event details
Identify any missing required information (location, invitees, notes)
Ask the user for any missing information before proceeding
Generate the ICS file
Display a detailed summary for verification (see below)

ICS File Format

Use this template for generating events:

BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//ICS Generator//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:REQUEST
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:{unique-id}@generated
DTSTAMP:{current-utc-timestamp}
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:{start-datetime}
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:{end-datetime}
SUMMARY:{event-title}
LOCATION:{location}
DESCRIPTION:{notes}
ORGANIZER;CN={organizer-name}:mailto:{organizer-email}
ATTENDEE;CUTYPE=INDIVIDUAL;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=NEEDS-ACTION;RSVP=TRUE;CN={attendee-name}:mailto:{attendee-email}
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR

Date/Time Formats

With timezone: DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250115T140000
All-day events: DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250115
UTC: DTSTART:20250115T200000Z

Multiple Attendees

Add one ATTENDEE line per invitee:

ATTENDEE;CUTYPE=INDIVIDUAL;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=NEEDS-ACTION;RSVP=TRUE;CN=Alice:mailto:alice@example.com
ATTENDEE;CUTYPE=INDIVIDUAL;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=NEEDS-ACTION;RSVP=TRUE;CN=Bob:mailto:bob@example.com

Verification Summary

After creating the ICS file, ALWAYS display a detailed summary like this:

## Event Summary

**Title**: Weekly Team Standup
**Date**: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
**Time**: 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM (US Central - America/Chicago)
**Duration**: 30 minutes
**Location**: Conference Room A / https://zoom.us/j/123456789

**Invitees**:
- Alice Smith <alice@example.com>
- Bob Jones <bob@example.com>

**Notes**:
Weekly sync to discuss project progress and blockers.

**File**: meeting.ics

This allows the user to manually verify all event details are correct before using the file.

Recurring Events

For recurring events, add an RRULE:

Weekly: RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO,WE,FR
Daily: RRULE:FREQ=DAILY
Monthly: RRULE:FREQ=MONTHLY;BYMONTHDAY=15
With end date: RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;UNTIL=20251231T235959Z
With count: RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;COUNT=10

Validation Checklist

Before returning the ICS file, verify:

All BEGIN: / END: blocks are correctly paired
Required properties present: UID, DTSTAMP, DTSTART, DTEND, SUMMARY
Timezone is correctly specified (default: America/Chicago)
All attendee email addresses are valid format
Location is included
Description/notes are included
For recurring events, RRULE syntax is valid

creating-ics-files

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases